Real Chat: Change and Peace

June 13, 2013

I used to be able to watch just about any movie and not shed a tear. I wasn’t the emotional type. I kind of took pride in this because I hated vulnerability.

Well a few things changed that in the past few years….experiencing love, marriage, and having children. You know, those major life events that seem to break down all the wall barriers you have around your heart. I can’t seem to watch a movie without finding some element to get weepy about. Simple moments in my day turn into emotional ones. Sometimes I wish I could turn off the vulnerability I feel….that so much of my heart is held by my husband and children. That my happiness rests in theirs.

We are about to have another season change…a new life will enter our little world, and everyone’s place will shift and maybe even tilt for a while. Its leaving me feeling pretty vulnerable and emotional. As the mother, you feel everyone’s pains and joys in the most real way. So I am feeling what each person will go through when this little love arrives…

Gabe and I will seek to find a new daily rhythm, Gabriel will feel have to adjust and understand our attention diversion, and Veronica will no longer have her place as the baby. My heart aches a little when things change. Its letting go of something familiar that you love and are comfortable with and accepting and making room for something different. However, by experience, God has always proved to us that when you hand over and trust him with a big part of your lives, it always ends up being even better than your before.

I have shed a few tears letting go of the fact that my Veronica Rose is no longer a baby. That suddenly she is a spunky independent little miss ready to explore life. I can’t help but give into her pleas for more time for me to hold her or stay with her at night. I don’t want those minutes to slip away. Her little world may be confused for a time, but we know that a brother or sister will soon be much more fun than mama and daddy’s attention anyways. I already can’t wait for her and Gabriel to see that they get to keep this baby forever. (They are both crazy about new babies!)

I look at these last few weeks before due date as a chance to accept the change and vulnerability of these roller coaster emotions and make room for peace. That blissful peace that comes in waves after you give birth to a new life….if you let it in. I think we can prevent so many grand experiences when we hold onto fear and worry. There are too many what if’s and how will we’s to count…so I let them go. I choose peace. Its really the only way to receive. There is much to receive ahead and we anxiously await:)

Good Design, Designed for Good : Method Products

June 12, 2013

GOOD DESIGN

I admit I totally judge a product by its cover. I am drawn to good design and packaging (just check my pinterest board dedicated to it;)), so I was all about Method’s new Designed for Good product line. Pretty perfect, right? Kudos to the designer on this one! I want to line my kitchen windowsill with these squeeze me cute droplet shaped bottles. My kids were excited about them to because of all the animal shapes and colors:)

I think these bottles are cute enough to be gifted! I put together the housewarming gift idea above and used a simple wood tray as the gift box. All you need is a few bottles of Method Hand Soap, some dishwasher pods, a scrub brush, and any other cleaning supplies that are helpful, and you have a cute and easy way to welcome someone to their new home. Maybe throw in a pair of yellow rubber hand gloves as well;)

DESIGN FOR GOOD

What’s also brilliant about this design is that it directly ties into their current efforts to prevent animal cruelty (they never test any of their products or ingredients on animals, and never use animal by-products) and keep their ingredients 100% naturally derived. So not only is it Good for Design, but its Designed for Good. Pretty cool, palindrom there, huh? Combine these perks with the fact that the scent is spectacular (and I mean, like the kind you keep sniffing to keep you in that happy place..) and you have yourself a real winner of a product.

Have you tried their products before? Thoughts?

Fun perks you should know about:

~ You can get 20% off method products on Soap{dot}com if you are a first time buyer! (use code PAWPRINT)

~ If you want to enter to win these soaps + a $50 gift card to Soap{dot}com, you can upload a photo of your pet to either facebook or instagram for a chance.
Facebook: Find the ‘pet photo contest’ tab on Method’s Facebook page (mobile here) and follow the instructions on the tab for uploading your photo.
Instagram: Post your pet’s photo to your Instagram account using the hashtag #methodcutepets, and follow @methodhome. The contest will begin on June 11 and end June 30. Method will select one winner each week!

Have fun with this!

Full Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Method and is %100 my own opinion.

Charleston Getaway

June 11, 2013

Despite tropical storm forecasts, Gabe and I took our chances and headed to Charleston for our last chance to get away for the weekend before the new baby arrives. We made it on Friday at midnight and headed straight to the beach. We saw what seemed to be the whole galaxy and the big beautiful vast ocean all to ourselves. It was just us with a whole weekend of possibilities ahead. When you are without your kids for the first time in four years, you feel a sense of……freedom! We were back at the beach by 7am ready to conquer the day. Since our time was short we wanted to make the most of it.

By what I would like to tribute as a complete gift from the Almighty, we had beautiful weather all weekend, had extremely good food experiences, and Gabe’s favorite – found perfect parking spots. I even got to meet up with my friend Hallie, a talented writer/blogger who I stalk for motherhood and marriage advice. I actually had brought her book in my bag for some beachside reading, so when I found out impromptu she lived in Charleston, a dessert meet up became imperative. She is now a real life friend. Don’t you love when things align as such??

Gabe and I chased the weekend hard and are wiped out as a result (and hello swollen feet), but had such a blast. We wouldn’t mind living in Charleston…..the charm gets a hold of you. Its pretty apparent that a weekend away gives you that chance to completely detach from distractions and really zone in on each other. Its needed and necessary in a marriage. Anyways…on to the recs…

Good Eats:
Farmers Market Crepes – There are breakfast and lunch booths in the Market. We chose one that offered many crepe varieties. The Count of Monte Cristo was memorable!
Shem Creek Bar and Grill – Overlooks the marshy area of Shem Creek. Still dreaming about that dinner.
Seabiscuit – Chill, relaxed, small joint, with just about the best breakfast menu you could dream up. Right off the beach.
Basil Thai Restaurant – Green Tea Fried Ice Cream…yeah.

Beaches:
Isle of Palms (more quite residential)
Sullivan’s Island (more commercial/hotel)

Sites:
Battery Park
King Street
Rainbow Row
Saw the above sites via Bike Rental (We used The Bicycle Shoppe)
Stella Maris Church

Thank you all SO much for the great tips on facebook and instagram! We were able to fit so much in because we had so many great leads to follow. We need a whole week to hit them all:) If you have any questions about these spots let me know!

And that my friends is a brief summary of a successful (miraculously so) babymooniversary:)

Pack Your Picnic: White Bean Hummus (Clean!)

June 10, 2013

Part 2 from the Pack Your Picnic Series by my sister, Maria Niewald!
___

Summer is in full swing here. For our family, it means lots of outdoor playtime and on the go picnics.
I make sure to stock up on portable snacks for the pool and park and I love having this hummus on hand because both my kids and adult friends love it!

White Bean Hummus:

2 cans Garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)

1 Bunch Cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1 Whole Lemon

1/2 cup Olive Oil plus 2 more tbs.

1/2 tsp Coarse Sea Salt

1 tsp. Minced Garlic

Variations:

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: Add a small jar of roasted red peppers (drained) and it’s amazing!

Directions:
Dump all ingredients together in a blender and blend until pureed and has a smooth consistancy. You may add more lemon juice or olive oil for desired consistancy and taste.
It’s simple, it’s healthy, its perfect for picnics. Hope you enjoy!

Food Philosophy: Because the effort to make good food is a gift to those around me.

It’s happy memories, togetherness, the living part of life.

7/7 Maternity Street Style: More of Me Maternity

June 10, 2013

Look Two of the 7/7 Maternity Style series on Tres Chic Mama is up!
I really liked how More of Me Maternity offers both professional and casual separates that are super comfortable and easy on the waist:) Have you seen this line? Really love everything they have to offer. You can check the full outfit details here.

Hope you all had a fun weekend!! Will be back later with a new Pack Your Picnic post~

Summer Brunch with Martha Stewart Celebrations

June 7, 2013

Photography by Rustic White – Blog / Facebook / Twitter
Florals by Jessica Gutierrez

Have you heard about Martha Stewart’s new line of party goods for JCPenny?? Well it was news to me, and it was totally fun getting an up close preview of one of the party themes, and getting to plan a party with all the goodies. While I am nowhere close to being the domestic genius Martha is, I felt for a fleeting morning that I maybe had a Martha moment thanks to this Party in a Box. I couldn’t get over how easy everything assembled and co-ordinated. I chose to create a Summer Brunch out of the products to have an excuse to spoil my friends a little with some good food and company. I am participating in a little contest with some other fun bloggers who have styled other themes from the line, so you can read on for how you can vote and win an entire Party in a Box for yourself as well!

Summer Brunch Details:

– All lemon yellow products pictured are from Martha Celebrations for JcPenny line.
– For the tablecloth, I picked up some fabric to create the base accent and added the wrapping paper as the table runner. This makes it easy to clean up any messes made afterwards!
– I used turquoise placemats (Target) and glass vase centerpieces (Hobby Lobby) to compliment the summer theme. My wonderful friend Jessica arranged the fresh greenery and herbs to bring everything to life.
-Lily leaves and lemons made for great plate centerpieces.
-A few printed brunch menus were propped in front of guests on the table.
-The side table set up displayed the water, lemonade, extra cups, jar of candy, and To-go favors. Extra vases and greenery and @ symbol paperweight as decor elements.

The menu included:
Fresh blueberries (pictured in the cupcake liners), Strawberries, and Pineapple
Nutella Crepes with fruit to top
Bacon and Spinach Quiche Cups
Mimosas, Lemonade, Coffee
Banana Nut Muffin Tops (To-go favors)

It was so cool to have all the party details ready made and themed together to make the party throwing easy and effortless so you could actually enjoy the guests with little post clean up! Friendships are worth celebrating and sometimes going the extra mile can make for wonderful memories. So thankful to the talented Rustic White for capturing the details for me!

If you would like to win your very own Party in a Box (in any of the themes available), all you have to do is re-pin one of your favorite photos from the Martha Stewart Lets Celebrate board and use the hashtag #LetsCelebrate. This gives you a chance to win and also casts a vote for whomever blogger’s party you re-pin! Thank you for playing along!

“All the MarthaCelebrations at jcpenney products featured in this post were provided by the Editors at Martha Stewart Living, a team that loves a good party and deeply admires the bloggers who throw them.”

Little Finds: Winter Water Factory

June 6, 2013

*Veronica is wearing the Luna dress, and Gabriel is wearing the Luca pants

I was thinking recently how when you dress your kids, you can’t help but put a little of your own preference into the mix. This is why you tend to see your hipster friends have mini hipster kids or your prepster friends have their minis in seersucker with shirts tucked. I love to see it all. In my case, I don’t have much of a say anymore due to the fact that my very stubborn and independent little ones either a) Have only two shirts they like and insist on wearing (my 4 year old) or b) Don’t like to wear much at all unless its her brother’s tees or pants (hmm can you guess who?). However, if I am sneaky, I like to mix and match prints and patterns on these two. I realize its because that’s the way I like to dress too;)

I am pretty sure this is the reason I am smitten with the entire Winter Water Factory collection. Playful patterns and colorful prints galore in the softest cotton material. My children actually did not protest wearing these pieces and I think its because they actually look geared for their age! Veronica couldn’t wait to show daddy her dress. She has got to be the messiest toddler I know but somehow her messes didn’t overcome this dress and miraculously, she wore it proudly all day. Definately a win. I couldn’t wait to share this line with you all! I hope you enjoy browsing their site as much as I do:) And for you fellow textile design lovers, be prepared…it will suck you in!

More of Winter Water Factory here: Blog / Facebook / Twitter

*This is a sponsored post which is %100 my own opinion.